The Native American cultures in the modern day United States have had their own style of theatre for centuries. This drama they create, some times on a whim, permeate their culture. The dramatic styling of the people help to tell the stories and struggles of their people. Also, they re often used to tell the story of their creation and existence on Earth. Yet, this drama comes in many forms just like the individual societies and peoples of the Native Americans. The unique dramatics goes on to define the community and people. Prior to the arrival of the Europeans, there live 15 to 30 million Native Americans from sea to shining sea. Today, these people still exist tough their numbers are significantly smaller unfortunately decreases by intentional and accidental genocide and misunderstanding. Scholars have gone on to characterize Native drama in several categories in order to better understand the individuals. They are defined by the people's language, religions, sociological and geographical relationships, and even the history of their European relations. Every Native culture experienced different aspects of all these characteristics. Thus, every Native American culture is unique. The people are defined by how they act and ultimately how they perform. Many Europeans and Americans have described native drama and performances as "colorful," because the style of the Natives did not completely match the style of the Western dramas and philosophers.
The individual Native American artists did his or her best to be unobtrusive to the art form and culture.The dramas were to reflect all the people. It was important that the artists were trained to best convey the proper culture and style of the people. The artists could be said to help establish community standards and styles. This attention to culture was essential, because the Native children learned of their past through these performances by shamans and dancers. Like many other ethnic theatre, the children play an important aspect for the preservation of the society. Though this drama focuses on traditions there is still room for interpretation. Many rituals, like the sun dance, are unique to different cultures. Each one has its own nuance for the tradition. Yet, the community still offers rigid guidelines in order to preserve overall tradition for the posterity.
A generalization of the Native theatre is that most of the dramas and performances are religiously charged. Religion is a fundamental aspect of the Native culture. Thus, many performances showcase a religious event. Native American culture and religion differs from Euro-American tradition. The Natives believe in a non-linear time frame and the concept of a dimensionless sacred place. These two aspects greatly separate the two cultures, and this separation often leads to misunderstanding. The Natives like to display a phenomenological wholeness to their performances, and often times require the audience to participate in differing levels in performances. Many Westerners devalued Native drama, with Paul Radin writing a piece onThe Road to Life and Death: A Ritual Drama of the American Indians. His worked examined how the acting and performance was too colorful and does not line up with the definition of theatre the Europeans had established for themselves.
The Navajo were not only famous for their code talkers but their archetypal chantways. These chants brought the community together. Many chants required hours and days of preparation, and when they were performed there were to be no mistakes. Memorization was key to its success, and the shame led the rituals with a hataaxi in charge of the singing. Often times a hataaxi would study as an apprentice in order to master the art that was so important to the Navajo. Shamans were seen as examples of power and religion. This belief made it fitting that many performances were headed up by the shamans of the clans. They involved ritual and different types of "magic" to show their story to the people of the communities.
In modern day, Native Americans are continuously trying to gain a foothold in the drama industry and on screen as well. Many groups formed in order to offer support to Native American actors. In the 1960s Jay Silverheels, along with many others, formed the Indian Actors' Workshop in order to promote Natives in film. Furthermore, the most active of the groups was the Native American Theatre Ensemble (NATE) of 1972 formed by Hanay Geiogamah. NATE even toured in the United States during the mid 1970s in various major cities like Washington DC. Though the Native theatre style has a small share of the drama market, it is continuously adapting to make itself more enjoyable and interesting to a broader audience. It is important that these playwrights continue to work in order to bring Native American theatre to the front of the American stage.
Native American Theatre Summary
The Native American cultures in the modern day United States have had their own style of theatre for centuries. This drama they create, some times on a whim, permeate their culture. The dramatic styling of the people help to tell the stories and struggles of their people. Also, they re often used to tell the story of their creation and existence on Earth. Yet, this drama comes in many forms just like the individual societies and peoples of the Native Americans. The unique dramatics goes on to define the community and people. Prior to the arrival of the Europeans, there live 15 to 30 million Native Americans from sea to shining sea. Today, these people still exist tough their numbers are significantly smaller unfortunately decreases by intentional and accidental genocide and misunderstanding. Scholars have gone on to characterize Native drama in several categories in order to better understand the individuals. They are defined by the people's language, religions, sociological and geographical relationships, and even the history of their European relations. Every Native culture experienced different aspects of all these characteristics. Thus, every Native American culture is unique. The people are defined by how they act and ultimately how they perform. Many Europeans and Americans have described native drama and performances as "colorful," because the style of the Natives did not completely match the style of the Western dramas and philosophers.
The individual Native American artists did his or her best to be unobtrusive to the art form and culture.The dramas were to reflect all the people. It was important that the artists were trained to best convey the proper culture and style of the people. The artists could be said to help establish community standards and styles. This attention to culture was essential, because the Native children learned of their past through these performances by shamans and dancers. Like many other ethnic theatre, the children play an important aspect for the preservation of the society. Though this drama focuses on traditions there is still room for interpretation. Many rituals, like the sun dance, are unique to different cultures. Each one has its own nuance for the tradition. Yet, the community still offers rigid guidelines in order to preserve overall tradition for the posterity.
A generalization of the Native theatre is that most of the dramas and performances are religiously charged. Religion is a fundamental aspect of the Native culture. Thus, many performances showcase a religious event. Native American culture and religion differs from Euro-American tradition. The Natives believe in a non-linear time frame and the concept of a dimensionless sacred place. These two aspects greatly separate the two cultures, and this separation often leads to misunderstanding. The Natives like to display a phenomenological wholeness to their performances, and often times require the audience to participate in differing levels in performances. Many Westerners devalued Native drama, with Paul Radin writing a piece onThe Road to Life and Death: A Ritual Drama of the American Indians. His worked examined how the acting and performance was too colorful and does not line up with the definition of theatre the Europeans had established for themselves.
The Navajo were not only famous for their code talkers but their archetypal chantways. These chants brought the community together. Many chants required hours and days of preparation, and when they were performed there were to be no mistakes. Memorization was key to its success, and the shame led the rituals with a hataaxi in charge of the singing. Often times a hataaxi would study as an apprentice in order to master the art that was so important to the Navajo. Shamans were seen as examples of power and religion. This belief made it fitting that many performances were headed up by the shamans of the clans. They involved ritual and different types of "magic" to show their story to the people of the communities.
In modern day, Native Americans are continuously trying to gain a foothold in the drama industry and on screen as well. Many groups formed in order to offer support to Native American actors. In the 1960s Jay Silverheels, along with many others, formed the Indian Actors' Workshop in order to promote Natives in film. Furthermore, the most active of the groups was the Native American Theatre Ensemble (NATE) of 1972 formed by Hanay Geiogamah. NATE even toured in the United States during the mid 1970s in various major cities like Washington DC. Though the Native theatre style has a small share of the drama market, it is continuously adapting to make itself more enjoyable and interesting to a broader audience. It is important that these playwrights continue to work in order to bring Native American theatre to the front of the American stage.